Difference between revisions of "Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu"

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[[Image:Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American NES box art.]]
 
[[Image:Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American NES box art.]]
  
'''''Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu''''', known in Japan as '''''ジャッキー チェン [Jakki Chen] "Jackie Chan"''''', is a platform beat-em-up developed by [[Now Production]] and published by [[Hudson Soft Company]] for the [[NES]] in 1990 and the [[TurboGrafx-16]] in 1991. In the game, you play Jackie Chan who is trying to rescue his sister (or girlfriend in the TG16 game) who has been kidnapped by a Sorcerer.
+
'''''Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu''''' is a platform [[beat 'em up]] developed by [[Now Production]] and published by [[Hudson Soft]] for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] in December 1990 and the [[TurboGrafx-16]] on 1991-01-18. Although the NES port was released first, it seems pretty clear that the game was first made on the TG16 and then ported to the NES. In the game, you play Jackie Chan who is trying to rescue his sister (or girlfriend in the TG16 game) who has been kidnapped by a Sorcerer.
  
I first heard about this game because it was a prize on a children's game show, I think [[Masters of the Maze]], but I never saw it played until years later using an emulator. While the game looked good and seemed interesting, I first dismissed it as just another NES platformer. Years later, while looking for video game music to record, I played the game's [[NSF]] file and was impressed by the music. Wanting to know where in the game a particular song was played, I took to playing the game through and got to the third level. This was more than enough to impress upon me how enjoyable the game is, so I decided to play the game for real. I beat it on my second attempt on 2018-01-02.
+
==Personal==
 +
I first heard about this game because it was a prize on a children's game show, I think ''[[Masters of the Maze]]'', but I never saw it played until years later using an emulator. While the game looked good and seemed interesting, I first dismissed it as just another generic NES platformer. Years later, while looking for video game music to record, I played the game's [[NSF]] file and was impressed by the music. Wanting to know where in the game a particular song was played, I took to playing the game through and got to the third level. This was more than enough to impress upon me how enjoyable the game is, so I decided to play the game for real. I beat it on my second attempt on 2018-01-02.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
Line 10: Line 11:
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
 
* '''Overall:''' 6/10
 
* '''Overall:''' 6/10
* '''Best Version:''' ?
+
* '''Best Version:''' TurboGrafx-16
 +
 
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The game has really attractive graphics. The characters are well animated and feature some of the best cartoon drawings on the NES. May of the sprites are also hilarious.
+
* The game has really attractive graphics. The characters are well animated and feature some of the best cartoon drawings on the NES. Many of the sprites are also hilarious.
* The music is also very impressive making good use of the hardware. The soundtrack uses a coherent timbre throughout the game and it has a wonderful traditional Japanese sound.
+
* [[Masakatsu Maekawa]]'s music is quite impressive. It uses a coherent timbre throughout the game and several songs have a wonderful traditional Asian sound which fits the theme. The NES audio makes especially good use of the hardware.  
 
* The controls are very responsive and fluid.
 
* The controls are very responsive and fluid.
 
* Each stage has a unique set of backgrounds, enemies, music, and a boss.
 
* Each stage has a unique set of backgrounds, enemies, music, and a boss.
 
* I like how there are multiple secret stages, each which requires a new set of skills to master.
 
* I like how there are multiple secret stages, each which requires a new set of skills to master.
* Unlike many NES titles, the game isn't too difficult, which is a nice change of pace. Rather than kill you, areas with tricky jumps punish you by setting you back or merely injuring you.
+
* Unlike many NES titles, the game isn't that difficult, which is a nice change of pace. Pitfalls, rather than killing you outright, punish you by setting you back or injuring you. However, the TG16 game is considerably harder.
 
* The game includes a lot of interesting Chinese and Japanese mythology.
 
* The game includes a lot of interesting Chinese and Japanese mythology.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* With only five levels, the game is too short. I would have loved to see another two or three levels.
 
* While I like that the game doesn't punish you unfairly for mistakes, it's a bit too easy with the default number of lives. They could halve this and it would be more realistic. The manual even gives you a cheat code to get 99 lives.
 
 
* There isn't much to explore in the game. Once you discover the hidden bells, you've found everything the game has to offer, and it's just a matter of honing your skills.
 
* There isn't much to explore in the game. Once you discover the hidden bells, you've found everything the game has to offer, and it's just a matter of honing your skills.
* Although the NES manual suggests that Jackie's sister Josephine is a Kung Fu master with abilities comparable to Jackie, she shows no skills whatsoever. The TG16 manual describes her as Jackie's girlfriend, which is probably why she's just another damsel in distress.
+
* The NES port eliminates large sections of the levels, and, with only five total, the game is too short. I would have loved to see another two or three levels or at least the rest of the TG16 levels.
 +
* The NES port also eliminates a lot of the enemies and eliminates complexity for the rest, especially the bosses.
 +
* The NES port gives you too many lives for the game to be a real challenge, the TG16 is more appropriate as it is harder and gives fewer lives. The NES manual even gives you a cheat code to get 99 lives, pretty much guaranteeing victory as long as you're tenacious.
 +
* Josephine is described in the manual as being a Kung Fu master with abilities comparable to Jackie Chan, which is progressive, but, in the game, she shows no skills whatsoever, so her title is just window dressing.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
 
* Nothing.
 
* Nothing.
  
==Box Art==
+
==Media==
 +
===Box Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - USA.jpg|The American NES release has a nice colored-pencil drawing of a young Jackie Chan with kung fu silhouettes in the background. It certainly gets the point of the game across, but it doesn't quite address the silliness of the game. I don't care much for the gray backdrop or the inappropriate lettering, but it's still my favorite box.
 
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - USA.jpg|The American NES release has a nice colored-pencil drawing of a young Jackie Chan with kung fu silhouettes in the background. It certainly gets the point of the game across, but it doesn't quite address the silliness of the game. I don't care much for the gray backdrop or the inappropriate lettering, but it's still my favorite box.
Line 39: Line 44:
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Documentation==
+
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - USA - Manual.pdf|North American NES manual.
 
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - USA - Manual.pdf|North American NES manual.
Line 45: Line 50:
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Maps==
+
===Maps===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - Map - 1.png|NES - Stage 1.
 
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - Map - 1.png|NES - Stage 1.
Line 54: Line 59:
 
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - Map - 5-2.png|NES - Stage 5-2.
 
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - NES - Map - 5-2.png|NES - Stage 5-2.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
{{#ev:youtube|2vK9C5nQcGU|256|inline|Longplay, NES.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|KtKUeSeXIOA|256|inline|Longplay, TurboGrafx-16.|frame}}
 +
 +
==Titles==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Language !! Native !! Transliteration !! Translation
 +
|-
 +
| English || Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu || ||
 +
|-
 +
| Japanese || ジャッキー チェン || Jakki Chen || Jackie Chan
 +
|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/jackie-chans-action-kung-fu mobygames.com/game/jackie-chans-action-kung-fu] - MobyGames.
+
{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/jackie-chans-action-kung-fu}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Chan%27s_Action_Kung_Fu en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Chan%27s_Action_Kung_Fu] - Wikipedia.
+
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Chan%27s_Action_Kung_Fu}}
* [https://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563426-jackie-chans-action-kung-fu gamefaqs.com/nes/563426-jackie-chans-action-kung-fu] - GameFAQs (NES).
+
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Jackie_Chan%27s_Action_Kung_Fu}}
  
  
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
[[Category: Action]]
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[[Category: 1990 Video Games]]
[[Category: Beat-Em-Up]]
+
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Adventure, Strategy]]
[[Category: Games I've Beaten]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Beat 'Em Up]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Licensed]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Platformer]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Martial Arts]]
 +
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Playable Non-White Character]]
 +
[[Category: NES Games]]
 +
[[Category: TurboGrafx-16 Games]]
 +
[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]]
 +
[[Category: Video Games I've Beaten]]

Revision as of 10:44, 24 September 2020

North American NES box art.

Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu is a platform beat 'em up developed by Now Production and published by Hudson Soft for the NES in December 1990 and the TurboGrafx-16 on 1991-01-18. Although the NES port was released first, it seems pretty clear that the game was first made on the TG16 and then ported to the NES. In the game, you play Jackie Chan who is trying to rescue his sister (or girlfriend in the TG16 game) who has been kidnapped by a Sorcerer.

Personal

I first heard about this game because it was a prize on a children's game show, I think Masters of the Maze, but I never saw it played until years later using an emulator. While the game looked good and seemed interesting, I first dismissed it as just another generic NES platformer. Years later, while looking for video game music to record, I played the game's NSF file and was impressed by the music. Wanting to know where in the game a particular song was played, I took to playing the game through and got to the third level. This was more than enough to impress upon me how enjoyable the game is, so I decided to play the game for real. I beat it on my second attempt on 2018-01-02.

Status

I do not own the game, but I have beaten the NES version.

Review

  • Overall: 6/10
  • Best Version: TurboGrafx-16

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The game has really attractive graphics. The characters are well animated and feature some of the best cartoon drawings on the NES. Many of the sprites are also hilarious.
  • Masakatsu Maekawa's music is quite impressive. It uses a coherent timbre throughout the game and several songs have a wonderful traditional Asian sound which fits the theme. The NES audio makes especially good use of the hardware.
  • The controls are very responsive and fluid.
  • Each stage has a unique set of backgrounds, enemies, music, and a boss.
  • I like how there are multiple secret stages, each which requires a new set of skills to master.
  • Unlike many NES titles, the game isn't that difficult, which is a nice change of pace. Pitfalls, rather than killing you outright, punish you by setting you back or injuring you. However, the TG16 game is considerably harder.
  • The game includes a lot of interesting Chinese and Japanese mythology.

Bad

  • There isn't much to explore in the game. Once you discover the hidden bells, you've found everything the game has to offer, and it's just a matter of honing your skills.
  • The NES port eliminates large sections of the levels, and, with only five total, the game is too short. I would have loved to see another two or three levels or at least the rest of the TG16 levels.
  • The NES port also eliminates a lot of the enemies and eliminates complexity for the rest, especially the bosses.
  • The NES port gives you too many lives for the game to be a real challenge, the TG16 is more appropriate as it is harder and gives fewer lives. The NES manual even gives you a cheat code to get 99 lives, pretty much guaranteeing victory as long as you're tenacious.
  • Josephine is described in the manual as being a Kung Fu master with abilities comparable to Jackie Chan, which is progressive, but, in the game, she shows no skills whatsoever, so her title is just window dressing.

Ugly

  • Nothing.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Videos

Longplay, NES.
Longplay, TurboGrafx-16.

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu
Japanese ジャッキー チェン Jakki Chen Jackie Chan

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-TCRF.png